


Robert And Charity At The Woolpack Bar

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Awkward Conversations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 23:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6214801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In her new role, Charity takes exception to the wrong person...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Robert And Charity At The Woolpack Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Evening! I was daydreaming earlier today and this happened. It’s rough as hell, practically just dialogue fic, but they wouldn’t stop talking!! Maybe I could make it into a ficlet series lol (hence the ‘1′)...
> 
> To be honest, I miss posting and don’t have proper fic ready yet, so have some super short, ficlet not!fic instead. My brain just wanted Robert and Charity to interact, even if I screwed with the canon timeline to do so. I wrote this before tonight's episodes too, by the way. I'm mainly putting this up because I made myself laugh. /lame
> 
> Hope you enjoy...and if not, come bug me about actually finishing proper fic! x

Robert walks into The Woolpack and automatically round the side of the bar before he stops in his tracks. Stood with a glass pressed to one of the levers for spirits is a blonde woman in a fancy jacket. She blinks as she spots him beside her before a faint, sly grin takes over her face.

“Well, if it isn't Robert flamin’ Sugden.”

“Charity.” he nods begrudgingly, well aware of her return. He takes a step forward and gestures behind her, “I'm just gonna - ”

She puts the glass down, ignoring the waiting customer, to press her palm to his chest as he's on his way past. “Not so fast, kiddo.”

Robert raises his eyebrows. “Excuse me? Look, I'm not a child you can patronise and tell what to do.”

“It looks like you've forgotten what I say goes – this is my pub now.” Her smile widens proudly. “Mm, I'm gonna enjoy saying that a lot.”

“Co-owned by Chas,” he reminds her, keeping his gaze steady, not letting her intimidate.

“Ah yes, who's son's life you almost destroyed with your lies,”

“Takes one to know one,” he snorts.

Her eyes light up. “Exactly.” She picks up the glass again and leans up towards his ear. “So, why don't you turn around and never - ”

“Charity, what d'ya think you're doin'?”

She springs back on her heels as Robert shoves his hands in his jeans' pockets, a soft smile sparking onto his face even as Aaron frowns in the doorway to the back rooms.

“Just having a little chat with this one here,” she says, cool as a cucumber, her hands raised.

“Yeah,” Robert agrees, managing to look away from Aaron to pin her with his stare. “I mean, she's got a lot to catch up on, what with being banged up an' all,”

She nonchalantly tosses her hair over her shoulder. “And yet I've landed on my feet like I knew I would.”

“While your cousin was going through Hell,”

Her eyes flash dangerously, like a cat about to pounce. “Don't turn that around on me!” she hisses, pointing at him in a way so reminiscent of Chas the night he struggled to let her know how exactly Aaron was falling apart that he swallows hard. Despite his needling, his own defences up, he knows first-hand what a feisty bunch the Dingles are.

“Alright, cut it out,” Aaron sighs irritably, coming into the bar. He curls his fingers around Robert's wrist and tugs, pulling his hand from his pocket. “Come on, trouble.”

“I was only winding her up,” Robert chuckles, but lets Aaron drag him into the back where he wanted to be anyway.

“Oh it's as easy as that, is it?” Charity exclaims at them as Chas comes back from changing a barrel. “All is forgiven 'cause your father's a wrong 'un!”

Chas rolls her eyes. “Love, leave it, will ya?” She takes the glass still in Charity's hand, apologises to the customer and deals with their money before turning back to Charity, arms folded in a sulk. She suppresses her laugh. “A lot has changed since you’ve been gone y'know, including them two.”

“You the doting mother-in-law now?”

The idea steals Chas’ breath and moreso when she realises that she feels anticipation, not panic or rage. “I wouldn't go that far. God, look at you,” she says, brighter, changing the subject with a smile and a nudge to her cousin’s side. “You're gonna have to learn some new skills. _Landlady_.”

 

By the staircase, Robert tugs on Aaron's hand to get his attention. “See, I'm making my way 'round the Dingles slowly,”

They both realise how ironic that is, considering his brief history with Debbie and his run ins with Cain and Aaron shakes his head, silently amused. “You can stop tryin' to prove yourself to me, to me mum.”

“Not happening.” he says, fierce but happy. “I don't break promises anymore.”

He yanks Aaron in by his lapels with a grin and lands a hard, plush kiss on his mouth, his lighter stubble strangely soft against his fingertips as he moves his hands up to cup his jaw.

Aaron's always going to be everything to him and not even Charity buying Diane - his family - out of the pub is going to change that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


End file.
